2012-11-24 You Reap What You Sow Part 4
Two Minutes to Midnight, Wilmington, Delaware. A large chemical factory on the outskirts of the city. It is a cold and rainy night in November. The facility itself is surprisingly focused; the exterior largely constituting various storage tanks for raw materials. There's an exterior chainlink fence, and then a second surrounding the factory proper. There is where all the real work takes place, and between these two chainlink areas, at night, the security comes out. Groups of armed men (and they are, for the most part, men) with sniffer dogs patrol by the half-dozen. They might only be armed with pistols and dogs, but these are hardened individuals who any trained eye can tell are... surprisingly capable for mere security guards. One other little detail that would strike many as odd is the inclusion of a helipad on the roof of the factory. There's nothing up there, now, and originally it was included on the dubious grounds that a way to quickly extract people in case of an emergency seemed prudent. That was the reasoning, anyway. Who can say what the true purpose of it is? Whatever the case, this dark and gloomy night, the D&G Corporation are likely to find themselves sorely pressed. The spectre of their dealings in Gotham has chased them all the way back here, through means both illegal and less so. There is tension on the air, even if nobody can really place why. And that is nowere more evident than outside the main rear entrance, where Captain Julius Barnes is addressing Domino. "You got your radio, you got your standard issue firearm. Frankly, I don't understand why the high-ups think you're necessary at all, but there you go. You see anyone not wearing the uniform, you shoot to kill. This is private property, and ain't a damn question worth asking if they're snooping around. We green?" The weather she still can't do anything about. Being this close to the business means she's got a front row seat to whatever the future holds. Piecing together the cruddy weather and the lower than usual security presence, the odds are way in her favor of something important happening tonight while she's here. It's a gamble, but what in her life isn't? Just stick to the assigned patrol route while scouting out much better ones for the moment when she breaks free and runs solo. Taking money from criminals doesn't seem so criminal in itself. Even without tracking the chemical components of the bioweapon in question back to a specific facility, it's amazing what kinds of cracks appear when leaning on a corrupt organization. From the failed assault of another group of disreputable mercs in trying to snuff out even the scarcest lead, to the dollars and energy poured into shoring up -this- factory from any infiltration, D&G is showing cracks a-plenty. Even with whatever cavalry Gordon is able to pull in through his connections to Delaware's finest, it's the kind of sting that could quickly go very bad with the preparations in place-- the Dark Knight intends to confirm the presence of the deadly contraband, and perhaps dismantle the perimeter defense from within, before it turns into a firefight. Of course, he's not precisely accounting for -some- of the security on-site suddenly this evening. The darkness and gloom, though? That's perfect recon weather for a certain advanced stealthcraft drawing languid circuits over the facility and gathering detailed updates to the sensor profile already gathered. The patterns and hardened areas should give Batman a rather good idea where to start looking-- and find a gap inside said perimeter to drop in without drawing attention himself. The four man team was dressed in full combat gear, top of the line, but nothing excessively odd, as it wouldn't do for them to narrow down exactly who they were if the enemy was feeling deductive at the moment. The female form that just spoke lowered the sniper rifle's scope from her eye, speaking in subvocalized tones to the male form next to her, who scouted the area himself with a pair of thermographic binoculars. "No, it isn't." He said, nodding slightly as he lowered the binoculars. "They've got decent human security roaming the grounds, and all of them are armed. Dogs, too, and all of it in groups we won't be able to take care of with success without calling in for more men. And this is an investigation, not an assault. It's going to be harder with the weapons we have here. And that's a reminder. No one switches to kill rounds unless I give the order. I don't need a blood bath on the evening news." He moves to the lines they attached to the top of the building, along with another. "Whiskey 3 and 4 will stay her and cover Ponzi and I with long range fire. Keep quiet, keep in contact, and remember not to shoot the people that are on /our/ side." He says, before both of them rappel down the building, leaving two up top. Inwardly, this wasn't the first time Geiger had invaded a guarded industrial building looking for very, very bad things. At least the other times /both/ of the sides were trying to kill each other. That was one thing about SHIELD; a lot more media conscionness to deal with, thanks to Operating in the first world... If Delaware could really be /called/ that. "How the hell did I get stuck on this job, anyway?" The Delaware State Trooper scowls from behind the driver's seat of his unmarked vehicle, which is seated about as far away from the D&G Chemical facility as would be possible without drawing undue attention. At the behest of Commissioner Gordon, the Delaware State Police and GCPD have been watching the facility for a few days, just to keep an eye on things while Gordon sorts out the red tape surrounding a more official investigation. He checks his wristwatch for a moment, then gives a frustrated sigh. "I'd rather be pulling over drunks." Detective Benson of the GCPD rolls his eyes in the darkness of the unlit car, then cants his head slightly toward the trooper. "Drunk people don't typically have anything to do with dangerous chemical weapons," he remarks. "Whatever, Benson. I'm only here because I was told to be here." Meanwhile, in nearby Gotham City, Jim Gordon is seated in his office, working late. He's just finishing a phone call with his wife, listening to her while popping an aspirin into his mouth and taking it down with a swig of lukewarm coffee. "Sure, Barbara. I should be able to swing by the store and grab some on the way home. Oh, hold on a moment. I have a call. I have to go. Yes, love you too." He switches to the other line on his cell and says, "Gordon?" A pause. "Sure, Benson. You really think that's necessary?" Another pause. "Alright, well, I'll get in a car and head that way." With a sigh, he grabs the trench coat from the coatrack in his office, and makes way for the motor pool. The SHIELD operatives and Batman both have one important thing in common. They are both very good at remaining undetected. There simply isn't the tech on ground to spot the stealth fighter, and a small team can move quick and easy enough to avoid immediate detection by the sweeping security teams. There's still a over a dozen people on the outside of the grounds - and one of them is incredibly lucky - covering the exterior of the base. Captain Barnes himself goes back inside to the factory floor. He is, as Domino is swiftly learning, an irritable man at the best of times. Tonight, with its bad weather and mutant women, is not the best of times. Grrr. Because Domino's having an absolute ball being thrown outside in the rain and cold. To hell with Captain Barnes, he can put up with the patch-eyed albino in all of her underground fashion sense! The weather kills her visibility (and her mood,) there's nothing to search the skies with (and why should she?) Frankly, she doesn't care if this place gets hit. Once it becomes a free for all, there's all manner of better uses for her time. Inside of the joint, where it's warm and dry. They have a computer network. They have important files. They have evidence. If she's lucky, they even have some cash somewhere in the joint. Odds of GCPD, SHIELD, -and- Batman all taking an interest in this place on the same night: 1 in 483,715. While Domino's also casing the joint: Practically right off the chart. For those on the outskirts looking onward, she might stand out from the rest of security detail. Heavy black leather trench. Pasty white skin. Notable black patch over the left eye. And she's a woman. A very distinct woman. SHIELD knows about her, Fury himself tracked her down for a little one on one chat a few months back. Batman's seen her. She may have lucked out and not gotten the attention of Gotham's police force yet, but that's always a toss-up. The bigger question: How might she explain why she's on -their- security team tonight? Several rather innocuous devices are deployed from the circling Batwing outside the facility's perimeter shortly after the SHIELD agents breach, bearing the spherical, shadowy black countenance of bat-gadgetry-- but thus far, they remain completely inert. Whether that is good or bad depends entirely on one's perspective. With a solid read on the movement patterns and numbers involved in guarding the factory below, the Dark Knight initiates his own insertion, skydiving on shadowed wing from high above the cloudcover. He passes through in a flash, and hits rain, the downpour crashing to Earth in similar fashion to the Batman himself, descending from the night sky to land nigh-silently amidst a rumbling report of thunder, spurred to continue by bright flashes of lightning. Crouching low on the outer tower leading up to the helipad, ideally somewhere near the important offices and security stations, the Dark Knight proceeds to simply cut his way into the maintenance access rather than risk the electronic security at all, using a decidedly waterproof miniaturized torch as the storm sheets off the borders of his costume, heeded little. The two SHIELD agents on the ground move with skill and purpose, dashing from one build to another, attempting to reach the perimter of the factory itself. Where there was a strong physical security presence, there was often other excellent security deterrance, including the clearing of brush around the perimiter, well lit areas covered by security cameras, and concertina or eletrified wire keeping people from accessing it. Thankfully, at least, there's never a /perfect/ physical plan, and all it takes was knowing where cameras didn't catch, the lighting didn't go, the fences rust... And having parked a delivery truck with some incendaries and a cellular detonator in the parking lot earlier that day. With a press of a button, the fire starts, and black smoke starts billowing out of windows, and underneath the hood, a small flame starting. Nothing explosive, but something that /would/ catch the eye. And hopefully distrupt patrols long enough for the agents to sneak through a weak point in security, and reach the building itself. "Who was that?" asks the State Trooper. "Oh, just my boss," remarks Benson. "Gordon?" asks the trooper, sitting up a bit straighter. "You mean, Commissioner Jim Gordon?" "That's right." "What the hell, man? We don't need him out here." "Don't we?" asks Benson, turning to face the trooper. "I mean, I figured, if you're gonna cop an attitude with me like this, perhaps you need someone with a bit more authority to..." He trails off then, his eyes turning toward the parking lot of the chemical factory. With a frown, he reaches for a set of binoculars. "What? What is it?" Benson frowns. "Looks like a delivery truck is on fire. That's... odd." Lowering the binoculars, he reaches for his radio instead, triggering the special channel designated for the operation. "This is Benson, on site. Um... we've got what appears to be a vehicle on fire here." Miles away, Gordon is already en route. He reaches for the radio with a frown. "A vehicle fire?" "That's right." "Get closer, see what you can find out." "I'm on it." Benson lowers the radio, then nods to the state trooper. "Let's go ahead and pull on up, take a closer look at what's going on." Reluctantly, the state trooper pulls his car out and onto the road, headlights coming on as they head closer to the factory. Then there's a vehicle fire. In the cold, pounding rain it is impressive that the fire starts at all, but this is no ordinary fire. Domino's radio crackles into life, "This is Team Alpha. Heading over to check vehicle." There's a few moments, and then the license number is read out, followed by, "Check records Team Leader, closing with standard protocols to initiate sweep. Dogs don't like it." And indeed, the six man team approaching the truck are being led by their dogs, who do not like it. Weapons are at the ready. The two SHIELD agents approaching the factory proper have a three minute window opened up by the departure of Team Alpha. Then Team Beta will be upon them. Their sniper can probably relay that information... Batman's presence - and that of the cops - is so far unknown. Though if the cops get too close to that vehicle, it isn't going to last very long... Wait, Domino's heard this one before. Diversion tactics, always a classic. The part that she's a little more confused on are the headlights that come to life out there, some vehicle soon approaching the fire. Did one tactic divert the attention of two different forces at play? Ho man, these guys are in for a helluva night. Where she gets exceptionally good luck, anyone not her or immediately working for her cause tend to get the opposite end of that deal. There's a feeling in the air like everything that could possibly go wrong is about to. Her job has its share of perks. One thing remains certain. Vehicles don't spontaneously ignite like that. Someone triggered it. As a tactic, it's working. Which means, whomever is behind it is going to be approaching frooom..! Over there. Quickly running gloved fingertips through the short mat of black hair atop her head, Dom sets off for the other direction. Where years of skill and honed instinct tell her there's going to be people approaching, people which are not on the security roster. Tonight's just going to be full of surprises. The diversion is recognized for what it is by another who sees the flames kick to life from near the pinnacle of the factory, cowled eyeslits narrowing dangerously at the vehicle-- then the team that moves to investigate it. There are a few possibilities here, none of which forestall Batman from his primary objective. He drops into the building into an electrical room near one of the prime security hubs and proceeds to splice his way into the hardwired network running through the walls. The important stuff won't (or shouldn't) be open to wireless access no matter -how- good he is, and what the Bat is interested in is the secure communication and procedures planned to protect-- or perhaps evacuate-- the bioweapon in question. His palmtop device has algorithms custom-written to crack the systems in use by D&G's facilities and computer systems, at this point, and the Dark Knight focuses on locating the Agent Orange as swiftly as possible.. whilst the drama outside begins to unfold. Geiger holds at the perimiter of the facility, looking to Ponzi once, and receiving a silent nod. That's all it took to know the other's feelings on their current chances. It was nerve-wracking, every time, no matter how routine the operation actually got. And they would wait just a few more moments... "Overwatch. Comm chatter and the mark 1 eyeball indicate they're dispatching as security team to investigate our diversion. You've got a hole, but it's not going to last long." Geiger clicks his radio twice, in acknowledgement, before nodding back to Ponzi, and both of them clear the fence, rifles up, as they run quickly for the facility. The route should be clear... but one didn't live as long as Martin did if they didn't factor in the unknown. A few seconds, and they'd be at one of the windows looking into the facility, ready to breach and start sniffing. The truck itself is labeled, ironically enough, 'Professional Drain and Plumbing', and if they're the right sort of dogs, they'll probably get the chemical smell indicating some sort of accelerant. The license plate matches a company of the same. The address the company is registered to is an office part in Metropolis. The arrival of an unmarked police car near the front gate of D&P Chemical facility just might serve, however accidentally, to serve as another diversion for those who are trying to break in. Regardless, the car carrying GCPD Detective Benson and Delaware State Trooper Smith pulls off the road near the main gate. "Go on, Smith," says Benson. "Check it out and report back to me. Earn your paycheck." As the trooper gets out of the car with a scowl and readies his flashlight, Benson is back on the radio. "Gordon, this is Benson. We got some heavy security going on here, and this vehicle is on fire. I don't like it." "I don't like the sound of it," answers Gordon over the radio. He's silent for a few moments while considering the many options. He'd learned over the years that one could never be too careful, especially when things like dangerous chemical weapons, organized crime, and devious villains are involved. Many other directors might have considered his next move jumping to conclusions, but not Gordon. He's used to having things blow up in his face, and has learned to be prepared. "We'd better go ahead and get things in place, in case something ugly goes down," says Gordon. "Let's move with Protocol Beta." "Copy that," answers Benson. "All units, Protocol Beta. Move into position." State Police vehicles from miles around are diverted by that order, leaving their normal patrols as they start driving in a converging pattern upon the factory. Some are close, many are far, but they all move toward the various roadways leading to the factory, until they are one mile away. There, they begin setting up roadblocks, letting cars drive further away from the factory without letting any cars drive in. As for Gordon, he's pulled off to the side of the highway leading out of Gotham. Why? To get a new ride, of course. He looks to the sky as a GCPD chopper appears, flying closer. He has a few moments, so he lights a cigarette and stands in the rain with a hat over his head. Cracking the security system doesn't take long, and the location of the Agent Orange is easy to find. Here, it is referred to simply as 'The Product'. Because they are only making one, right now. The vats outside? Full of it. The factory floor itself contains all the compounds necessary to make it. There's vast quantities of the stuff. Millions of dollars worth, to the right buyers. Enough to put a sizeable dent in the Amazon itself, if they used all of the raw materials up in production. Outside, there's some more chatter from the troops by the flaming car as they realize the issue, and the fact there's police nearby. Or at least, a guy in police uniform. "Sorry Sir!" Comes a shouted voice, "But this is private property. Fire training exercise. Please back away from the gate." The dogs bark... And then things get REALLY complicated. Because the sound of a chopper tearing into view buzzes low over the perimeter fence, emblazoned with the D&G Chemicals Group logo. Now, radio banter becomes genuinely frantic as a new voice cuts in. "This is Eagle One. Director De'Gayle and Friend are inbound. Hope you're polished up properly, Captain." "That's just what we need." Captain Barnes grumbles inside. Then, directly to Domino's radio. "Well, lady, you're the Boss' favorite. Get in here and put on your best ass-kissing face. The boys will deal with this... whatever it is. We have to look sharp." Then, to everyone else, "Whatever is going on out there, deal with it quickly, and try not to blow anything up god-damnit!" Looks like the SHIELD team got lucky; the next patrol were momentarily paused in surprise at the arrival of the helicopter. Apparently, this was NOT expected this evening. The pieces, they are starting to fall. Just what form they might end up taking, that's for a whole other Lady to determine. The inclusion of a helicoptor at that very moment, with a very important person on board? Well, that's just plain convenient. Domino's starting to approach the two SHIELD agents as they break into the perimeter when she gets the call straight to her ear. Awfully nice of these guys to give her direct access to their local chatterwave! "I'll be in shortly," she radios back while her attention lies completely upon the two breaking through the fence. They look like they could use an escort. With her issued pistol tucked into combat webbing, Dom draws out her traditional ten millimeters and slips up behind the pair of operatives. Their teammates might catch her through the lens of a scope at some point, but as things happen to work out she has just the right window to get the drop on them. And there she stands, two sidearms held down at the ground and two SHIELD agents directly ahead. "Gotta watch out for those '94's, nasty habit of shorting out by the fuel line." They could try to move, but she's faster. They could try to shoot her, but she's a better aim. They could also call in a sniper from behind and kill her where she stands. Luck cuts both ways. It all depending on what one meant by the word 'lucky'. Geiger and Ponzi look up as the sound of a helicopter coming in to the building... and that meant that there might be another security team. Once moving down from the helipad. An unknown factor, at the very least. At worst, it meant it would be /excessively/ harder to cover up their tracks if caught. So they had to be quick about this... but their plans were already delayed, as Domino came forward, and caught them in the open. Rifles pop up quickly enough at her quip, but they don't fire. And it seems that luck here was with everyone, because one also didn't get to where Geiger was without compulsively reading dossiers. Geiger makes a quick motion behind him, and Ponzi lowers his weapon. "Didn't expect to see someone like you here. At the very least, your presence wasn't in the memos. Which means Fury probably didn't send you here." He moves forward as he talks, moving over to the building. If Domino decided to take a shot at him... well. Then things would get much much worse. "I don't think you're here to shoot me. I also don't think you're here to sell me out. SO give me your intentions and lets get this done." There's a momentary surprise as Batman realizes just -how- much 'product'-- and how much risk-- this facility represents in actuality. A moment is taken to back up the surprisingly well-kept records and any client lists, encoded or not, present on the system. He also spares a lengthy moment to search for (and seek to disable) any measures in place to torch the factory automatically.. or remotely. As the Dark Knight works, a simple pre-set dials Gordon's mobile; naturally, this comes through about as blocked as a call can be, as far as ID'ing the source is concerned. Oracle knows her network, and all its tricks. |"Commissioner. The chemical is here, more than we anticipated. The entire factory's stockpile."| The words are given just a moment to sink in, |"They're bringing in an unscheduled chopper with De'Gayle himself, and another team is in the process of breaching the perimeter-- get set up, this is going to get ugly."| The call cuts out before the Dark Knight gets into his own working theories. There's too much else to do, just now. For starters, the Bat uses the traditional failsafe to trigger fire alarms in random locations -all over- the factory; this also serves to cut main power and bar access, hopefully keeping his adversaries disorganized and removed from one another, as well as in the dark (proverbially) on what's actually happening in their dark (literally) facility! The Bat himself moves back the way he came, heading for the pouring rain and the ledge beneath the helipad. State Trooper Smith, when addressed, gets nasty. He's one of those cops, the ones you'd prefer to smack upside the head when they chew you out for going 5mph over the speed limit. "Hey, look here! You see this?" He points his flashlight at the grass below his boots. "I'm on the easement! That's /State of Delaware property/. You guys got a problem with that?" He shines his flashlight toward the burning car, then upon the security guards. "You guys got a permit for these fire training exercises? I'm gonna have to see them." Then, he looks up as a chopper shows up, raising his flashlight to the sky. "What the hell?" Meanwhile, Detective Benson is still in the car pulled off to the side of the road, and definitely in civilian garb. The arrival of a chopper draws his binoculars back to his eyes, and a new frown to his face. "Benson here. D&G Chemicals is landing a chopper, flashy logo and all." "Watch your back, Benson," answers Gordon, his voice having to shout over the noise of the chopper as it lands on the side of the highway. He throws two flares out into the road, in order to guide the rare passing vehicle to give his parked car and the landed chopper a wide berth. Once the chopper has landed, he discards the cigarette and climbs in. "Pilot, take us to the Route 47 roadblock, fast as you can." The chopper begins rising up into the sky, then tilts forward in an effort to gather as much speed as it heads away from Gotham and toward D&G Chemical. That's when he gets a call from a blocked number. He takes the call but doesn't say anything, instead merely waiting until a voice on the other side speaks. "Acknowledged," he says, before disconnecting the phone and sitting in shock for a moment. "Sweet Jesus," he curses to himself, then gets back on his radio. "All units, scratch that. We are going for Protocol Alpha. Repeat, all units, Protocol Alpha! Move those roadblocks back five miles, not a single car gets in." Lieutenant Milholland, for that is the man in charge of the team checking out the diversion, is a man who knows pressure. His last mission had been in Somalia, and compared to staring down pirates, staring down State Trooper Smith is easy as pie. He's a big man, burly, like the rest of his unit, and as the team have now determined there's no real threat, and the radio is crackling with insanity, he narrows his eyes. And draws his pistol, stepping forward. "Due respect, Sir." He says, slowly, nastily. "You want to think real careful about how much trouble you want to raise here, 'cuz I'm having a lousy night, and the bullet in this here chamber is much closer than the permits we got, so I'm /much/ more tempted to show you that." Inside, Batman is probably pleased to learn that there are no contingencies to burn the place to the ground or blow it up; D&G aren't that insane. When the fire alarms start to go off, there is, however, massed panic. Which is likely what he was hoping for. The voice of the Captain... has gone mysteriously silent. Because the Captain had gone up to meet the CEO and his mysterious Friend. We see him now, eyes tight as pinpricks, staring dead ahead. "Sir... Ma'am... I, apologize, things are going, a little wrong..." There's a soft shiver of sultry laughter, and a rolling female voice purrs, "Captain, its fine. You've served us well. You are... relieved, from duty." Light green fingers caress his cheek. Lips press against his... And as his silhouette falls to the ground, a shapely woman and a suited man's step neatly over his body, and into the gangways above the factory proper. A lot is happening, very quickly. It's just -so exciting!- In another instant Domino knows who these people are working for, and an instant later that power has been cut within the facility and fire alarms are now on the fritz. For everything that's starting to go on around her, she's looking -way- too amused. "I've just been called inside for a one on one with the Boss. You two can follow, or you can pass over your weapons and be my catch of the day. Either way, you can earn yourselves a free shot at the CEO. Just don't blow my cover." She's got no use for that person, granted the boss is a grade-A asshole but she doesn't have any reason to kill them. There isn't a bounty on their head. Yet. Those two agents can figure things out for themselves. Right now, Dom's got a job to do. She heads to the nearest entrance into the building, clipping a gunlight onto one of her sidearms as she goes. Nightvision is bulky and delicate (and expensive,) sometimes she just has to go oldschool. "On my way up, you guys gonna make sure this place is still standing by the time I get there?" she radios to the others. Away to the meeting she goes! Interjected behind Ivy and DeGayle along the walkway is, abruptly, as if in the blink of an eye, the Batman. He's moments too late to stop the Captain's murder, instants behind the deadly eco-avenger and her hostage. "Ivy." it rumbles out with dissatisfaction projected in spades, "I warned you to walk away from this." The Dark Knight's presence likely speaks volumes; Isley isn't an idiot. Whatever she has planned is (by far) not the only play in motion here, tonight. Batman -did- promise to take D&G down, hard. "There's no way out of here, be sensible about this." The wind whips across the outer walkway, the Caped Crusader not so much as flinching or faltering as rain shifts momentarily nigh-horizontal, sheeting into his armor and setting a wild flutter to his cape. It drops anew as he steps in after them, rainwater running off his dark form in slowing rivulets. Maybe he's just buying time for the security and police he knows are on the way. "Let De'Gayle go; he has to be tried for what he's done." Exciting was not how you wanted opertations to go. You wanted them going according to a plan you drilled for a month before hand. Simply, textbook, and completely unnoteworthy in the operation, if not the results. If things got exciting, you have to improvise. Geiger nods to Domino as she gives what she's doing. "You're not one of my people, so I don't think I'll be going the prisoner route. I'll follow you on point. Any guards, send them past, and we'll take care of them." He says, as he signals to Ponzi to follow. "And, while that was not addressed to me, I make no promises." There's a click into his earpiece. "Boss, security is meeting with a uniformed trooper... monitoring's reporting a large amount of chatter on the police bands, as well as a roadblock. We've also got a helicopter with a GCPD police transponder heading across the Bay." Geiger lowers his voice, subvocalizing so Domino can't hear. "Contact the Metro Station Chief with 3683 from the current codebook to authenticate. See what they can scrounge and send over short notice. Assault team, drones, anything." State Trooper Smith immediately draws his own pistol, holding it like a trained cadet and pointing it right back at Lieutenant Milholland. He's sweating like a pig, but he's not going to back down, for now he's on a power trip. "Sir, lower the weapon immediately!" he demands. Meanwhile, Detective Benson is getting out of the cruiser. "Smith!" he barks. "Lower your weapon and get back in the car!" "'Fraid I can't do that, Detective!" "Smith, goddamnit! They have a right to defend their property, and we have no search warrant. Now holster your weapon and get back in the goddamned car!" Smith looks from the burly security officer to Benson, then back again. He hesitantly begins to back up. "Holster your weapon, Smith, that's an order!" With a frustrated sound, Smith lifts his gun into the air, showing that he's not going to fire. "Fine! Fine." He takes a few more steps backward, before slowly holstering his weapon. Benson looks over at Lieutenant Milholland, holding out his hand. "Look, just go back about your business, okay? I'm sorry for any confusion." Then, he looks over at Smith, scowling. "Trooper, get back in the car, we have a call to respond to." As for the cop cars advancing upon D&G Chemical and setting up roadblocks, they immediately begin to move those roadblocks back an additional four miles, per Gordon's issue. The demand covers far more roads, and requires the State Police to begin pulling in help from the County Sheriff and GCPD as well. Setting up the roadblocks is only one part of Protocol Alpha - the one designed to keep citizens out of a potential 'ground zero' should the Agent Orange be released. Part two involves the GCPD Quick Response Team, along with the County's SWAT team. Both are converging upon D&G Chemicals with sirens blaring, racing down highways at breakneck speeds. It will take time for them to get close, but in his chopper, Gordon's approach will go much quicker. He sits in relative silence, listening to rapid fire updates from law enforcement over the radio in his sound-muffling headset. "/Batman/." Try as she might, Ivy's voice doesn't hide her hatred, or her surprise. Her hand, however, whips out and grabs De'Gayle by the throat. It all happens so fast; this is, of course, what the plan had essentially boiled down to. The entranced man is suddenly aware of where he is; of what happened, what his eyes had shown him. Even survival instinct isn't strong enough to fight Ivy's control when she doesn't want it to. But now? Now she wants this man to feel fear. And oh, how he feels fear now. "B-Batman!" He cries, "Help me! This woman's crazy, she killed Julius!" Fingers tighten, as Ivy dangles the CEO over the side of the gangway. Below, malevolent chemicals bubble and boil in a large, open vat. She ignores him, of course. She only has eyes for Batman, now. "You, threatened me." She hisses. "You threatened to kill my CHILDREN, and you expected me to let that be an end to it? Man's law has no jurisdiction here. /I/ have passed my judgment. He is guilty. What can you do to me now? Threaten to blow THIS place up? Move an inch, and he dies, painfully!" Outside, the standoff between the police and the mercs is finally resolved. For a few moments, it looked like the Lieutenant was going to shoot Smith just on general principles, but as he backs off, so does the team. "We're going inside." Milholland declares. "Boys, be on the ready, something weird is going on here." The other teams seem to have realized the same thing, as the Captain's voice has gone dead, and one of them intercepts Domino on her way into the factory. "Hey, newbie." The lead, Bennet, shouts. "Captain's radio has gone dead. Stick close, remember, priority is to neutralize any unexpected variables. Try not to shoot any guys in suits until we can ID, but... right now, the Captain's safety is top priority." Things really are going to get... very messy. "Nice to see Fury's hiring people that can think for themselves. Let's go, kids." Domino doesn't get far before one of the local sec grunts catches up with her. Hearing that the Captain's radio is out prompts her to swear under her breath (acting!) and stick close indeed to the guy as he leads the way for her (handy!) "Yeah, roger the hell outta that." Nevermind the two 'unexpected variables' that are now shadowing her every motion... She doesn't glance back, doesn't motion to the two SHIELD folk in her wake. They know how to do their job, and she's not going to risk giving away anything important. All Hell is about to break loose, and she's caught right in the middle of it. As far as operating without a plan goes, she could always do worse! "What's the deal with the lights and alarms, what are we -dealing- with here?" she asks the other sec man. No time like the present to drill for some extra intel. "Seems like an awfully big party for not expecting guests!" "And I didn't." Batman simply reminds Ivy. As much as it's likely to matter. "No matter what's happened to your body, your mind is still human-- this is still man's law, man's way." The Dark Knight doesn't move, though. Not an inch. "Think you're fast enough to have it your way?" the Bat's inquiry comes with a narrowing of eyes, a dropping of his voice, in the instants before Domino and her entourage break the lockdown and penetrate the facility itself, apparently not convinced of the eminent threat of the fire. "His men will be here soon." A nod to the terrified administrator. "They can't deal with both of us; but neither can you." It's an ugly situation, the Dark Knight stands by that call. They only have moments before the encroaching security and SHIELD forces get a glimpse of what's going on up on the catwalks. "Even if I do /nothing/, Ivy, you're about to be caught in the same net I've prepared for these scum." Gordon and the SWAT net are not nearly as unprepared for Ivy as D&G's compromised team; this becomes even more true as a still from the batsuit's video feed is casually transmitted to the Commissioner's phone now, displaying the situation in high resolution color, the Bat moving little more than a few fingers to manipulate the necessary controls, concealed by his flowing cape. Martin Kavanagh leaves that 'compliment to silence, though he does tend to bristle slightly. Freelancers were a mixed bag, and he did not like being addressed as if he was a recruit who needed to be validated by the professionals. At this time, though, he hears the report from his overwatch team. "We've got everyone heading back towards the facility, boss. This is real bad. You need to get out of there, now." Geiger quickly clicks on. "Delay them. I need another few minutes. We've got an escape route on the roof if we can get past whoever's up there..." Geiger pauses, as he hears the voices from the catwalk above, and then freezing. "Expedite that support request. We may have HVTs in the area." The sniper on the roof moves to take Geiger's orders to heart, before bringing up the rifle on it's bipod, and making three rapid shots, at the ground, a piece of junk, and a window directly in the path of the security agents that approch, indicating that the path in front of them isn't to be moved past. "Another call?" asks Trooper Smith, confused. "I was lying," answers Benson, as soon as the doors are shut. He gets on the radio quickly. "Gordon. Something's going down here, I heard it from one of the security guards." "Get your gas masks on," answers Gordon, before clicking over to the general operation band. "All units, be advised. Gas masks must be used on this operation." While the roadblocks continue to be set, Gordon's chopper breaks over a treeline and begins to slow once the D&G Chemical facility comes into view. With no search or arrest warrants, he needs some sort of reason to go in, not to mention some backup to keep any advance from being suicide. "Keep your distance, try not to be spotted," Gordon advises the pilot, before leaning over toward the window and eyeing the distant facility. The chirping of a phone notification prompts Jim to activate the feed. He only needs to watch it for a few moments. The time has come to make a call, and he'll have to deal with whatever red tape nonsense comes down on him for it. Raising the radio, he makes that call bravely. "All QRT and SWAT units, move in. Establish a perimeter and wait for my signal to go in and apprehend." Lowering the radio, he looks over to the pilot and says, "Take us in high and fast. Try to get above that helipad and hover. I don't want that chopper leaving if Poison Ivy is aboard it." He looks to the two SWAT officers in the cabin next, and moves back toward them. "You guys got some spare gear?" he asks. "Rappel line, winch, vest, I need it all." With the gear tossed his way, Gordon throws a ballistic vest over his chest, then begins attaching a rappel winch to his belt. "I'm going to need you two to drop in with me, no matter how close we can get." Ivy stares Batman down. The terrified CEO grasps at her hand, but, there's a surprising amount of strength in the green woman. She might not be able to lift a car, but a dangling administrator is no problem whatsoever. If she wanted it to be, she could end it right now. Finish him as he deserves to be finished, in any one of a hundred horrible ways. Instead, she is drawn into Batman's banter. "You know nothing about how I think." She says, "How I feel, every day, listening to the helpless screams of the innocent. This man commits genocide on a daily basis, and you'd have me hand him over, for what? Fines? A few years in jail? Do you think that will atone for what he's done?!" There's logic in what Batman says, of course, but this has never been about logic. She may already be too ensnared to escape with her freedom. But in what world does that mean she should let him live? "You know I'm right, deep down, don't you, Batman? You could help me. Let me drop him, and together, we can escape... I'd be, very grateful." Outside, the team that had met up with Domino are just as confused. "Think we're being hit by terrorists." The leader says, with surprising accuracy really, in a way, even if most of the confusion wasn't actually caused by Ivy. "Keep your eyes open and your trigger finger ready." He was about to rush forwards, when the bullets scatter in front of him, and he swears, "Evasive action! We're under fire, get to cover people!" And his team move to do, exactly that. He himself makes a rush for the door, though, misreading the warning shots as being sheer good luck and an inaccurate marksman; nobody on his team would ever shoot for anything less than a kill, after all. The problem with working alone is that you never know when someone's watching your back or trying to step on your toes. Domino's ready on the trigger, a bit less so for those three warning shots. Where did them come from? Hell if she knows! She's got her agenda to stick to and she's not about to let some random warning keep her from achieving that goal! "Armed terrorists!" she quickly adds while throwing herself into a forward sprint, dive, and roll for cover. She's got a rough idea of where those shots came from, all she needs to do is keep herself behind the appropriate angle of cover and forge ahead. With the flashlight off. No sense in making herself an easy target for anyone. To the grunt beside her, it might appear that she's really so enthusiastic about doing her job and making sure the boss is okay. In reality, she doesn't want to leave this mess empty-handed. Dom's always worked best on her own, anyway. Make for the stairs, get to higher ground, figure this stuff out, and -don't get yourself shot,- girl! "Don't I?" Know what that feels like. There's a touch of sympathy there, perhaps coerced by the drifting pheromones that ply at the Batman's senses, urge him to trust Ivy, to help her; and then some. "The world is full of monsters, each with their own preference for prey." He doesn't make light of the plight of the plantlife; even if he did believe it, the Dark Knight isn't -stupid-. Plus, Isley seems even more compelling, just now. "You're not fixing any of it." There's the stalwart crusader, returning as he smoothly draws a custom mask from his utility belt and fits it over the underside of his cowl, his voice taking on an electronic distortion as he amends, "Just taking the immediate gratification." It doesn't stop the world turning, burning-- that's practically the mandate behind Batman's entire crusade. "Kill him and all you prove to those like him is that they're right, and you're insane. Let me make a real example of his corruption, Isley; you think he's getting away with a slap on the wrist for -this-?" There's a gesture to the nefarious showroom all around them. "This violates at least a half dozen /federal/ laws, and that's without touching the malfeasance that permeates this man's company. All you're proposing is letting him off -easy-." That part, at least, the Dark Knight seems to legitimately believe. As Domino take her lead from the security Lieutenant, the two SHIELD agents take their lead from her, the men scattering around them... in this confusion and darkness, they can get through, and get in almost as if they belong there, dashing through a few confused secuirty guards, and firing a single shot from a dart pistol at one of them to cause even more confusion. The Lieuteant is let through by the sniper; expecting someone made excellent cover. But all of this only indicated that this was all going to hell faster then Geiger could salvage it. They needed to get in, smash and grab, and then get out to make anything of this damned operation. And next time, He'd goddamn shoot down any helicopters that come in on unseculed inspection visits. While Trooper Smith and Detective Benson have gone for cover until the ground SWAT teams arrive, Commissioner Gordon and his SWAT partners are ready to do something both heroic and incredibly stupid. Fortunately, they have gas masks, ones that have been tested to assure that pheromones will be filtered out. With a gas mask over his face, Gordon takes up a position near the helicopter's side door. As the chopper roars over the facility, one of the SWAT soldiers opens the door, causing fierce wind and stinging drops of rain to whip into the cabin. The helicopter swoops overtop of the rooftop helipad, and three cables are tossed out and into the wind, weighted at the bottom to help prevent them from blowing away in the rampant wind. The weights clink to the helipad below, and winches are attached to their cables. Then, with two SWAT officers at his side, Gordon leaps out of the helicopter and slides down the rope to a quick landing on the helipad below. "Let's go!" he shouts to the officers after releasing the cables and drawing his sidearm. Down the stairs they go and into the facility proper, where the showdown between Ivy and Batman is near its climax. Gordon registers the situation in a brief moment, before drawing a bead on the green eco-terrorist and taking a few hesitant, nervous steps forward. His voice is slightly muffled from the gas mask, but it's clearly heard when he bellows out his command. "Isley, put De'Gayle down on the catwalk, right now!" And so Ivy's world comes crashing down around her. The sound of people entering below means that that escape route is cut off. The sudden appearance of the Commissioner does not improve her mood much, either. Her eyes finally slide from Batman, to him. In the end, though... in the end? Perhaps it is Batman's words that do the most to convince her to end this without further bloodshed. Perhaps... she /isn't/ fixing things with the death of one man. "Confess." She hisses. Which, might just confuse everyone concerned, at least for a few moments, and then, she repeats it, as she tosses the CEO to her feet. "CONFESS!" And, he does. Babbling about how he had found the formula in his family's archives, how he had decided to sell to the ripe African and South American dictator market, how he had personally overseen every step of the operation. As he happens to be between Ivy and Batman, and Ivy is certain that Batman is recording every moment of this, perhaps... perhaps that will be useful. Or perhaps his lawyers will screech duress. Frankly, she doesn't care. Down below, it is the arrival of the SWAT teams that mean that Domino and the SHIELD operatives arrive... at the same time that the mercenaries decide that discretion is the better part of valor. Most of these men are hardened, trained killers. But they also have no commanding officer. No orders about what to do in this situation, and no inclination to open fire on a /massed/ police operation. One police officer? Sure. But this? This would be much harder to cover up. If Martin can flex his authority now, it looks like he might just be able to get something out of this operation after all; these 'security contractors' aren't exactly the cleanest bunch of boy scouts ever to wield automatic weapons in a stinking jungle hellhole. Ivy, though, is now turning to the Commissioner. There's even a slight, resigned smile on her lips. With a toss of her head, her red locks flow backwards, and then she holds her arms out in front of her. "Mister Gordon." She says, breezily. A truly, smouldering look in her eyes as she /pointedly/ ignores Batman. "I'll go quietly back to Arkham. I trust my usual cell is ready? I don't suppose that I could talk you into sharing it with me, hmm?" Those falling pieces are beginning to create a picture, alright. A picture that has Domino a lot more cornered than she would like to be, more than she had anticipated being. Those SWAT boys aren't exactly on her side, here... Frankly, no one here is! Any hope of getting to the goods upstairs is gone. Any hope of 'saving' the boss is gone (though it looks like he might be 'safe,' after all..!) She hasn't made any move against this company or its security team, and she hasn't technically failed her job. So, that's something. Any perks, any bonuses, she'll have to do without. Right now, all she's concerned with is not getting caught up with the authorities. Sure, SHIELD might have her back. -Might.- She's not willing to take that chance. Between the loss of power, the stupidly massive amounts of confusion and the horrid weather outside, it's a great time for her to make her move and simply disappear. Take what she's got and make a run for it. At the end of the day, she's still getting paid for her time. Just not to the extent that she had been hoping for. Can't win 'em all! If the Dark Knight is concerned about Ivy's sudden change of heart (or some other body part), he doesn't show it. In fact, his attention seems to be entirely for the ranting confession of one Mr. De'Gayle, who the Bat drags up off the floor in short order-- partly just to be sure Ivy doesn't get her hands back on him, partly to take his own turn hefting the terrified criminal up, and all but hurling him in a rough shove back towards Gordan's preliminary team. There's the briefest lock of eyes on his oldest ally in the police service, and then the Dark Knight lifts his grapnel gun. The barrel splits automatically with a flip of a switch, one line firing back behind Batman to the far wall, the other out past the police, to the overhang of the entrance used. In a flash, the Bat ascends into the shadows hanging over and about the catwalk, and launches himself back out into the rain-- and off the side of the building, dropping into the storm and shortly lost to the night. His own attention, apart from avoiding police contact and questioning himself, is focused on surveilling the perimeter, making sure the operation goes off smoothly with the multitude of seperate sides now involved. The Batman's own presence here will be difficult for most to even confirm with any certainty, as Gotham's guardian ghost returns to his silent, thankless vigil. As the SWAT team arrives, Geiger grimaces for a moment, as the radio calls come in. "Sir, police are all over this area. We've got reports of an ingress on the roof." The words after it are unsaid, if only because it wasn't there place to say them, but Geiger can hear them on the Sniper's tongue; they were rapidly running out of options beyond attempting to escape or ending up handcuffed, which he couldn't afford. A quick look around to the people here, and his hand goes back to his Radio. "Tell me Metro has some people enroute..." A pause, and then a nod. "Well. That's something, at least." From past the roadblocks, two unmarked, black sedans and a Humvee roll through, after the suit driving flashes an ID wordlessly to the Delware State Police officer in front. The overfly of an armed drone fifty feet above them was something of a bonafides in itself, as well. As they enter the compound, they swerve around, braking at a specific point, as Geiger and Ponzi come up from behind the humvee... and then around, in a type of slight of hand they really should take to Vegas. "SHIELD!" Geiger yells, the voice coming storng through the vocalizer. He's quickily flanked by suits from the sedans, and the combat-geared tactical team from the Humvee. "These men are wanted under international warrants for human rights violations and threats to the collective security of UN Member states! We will be taking them into custody!" And that drone buzzs over him right then, just to cap it as an exclimation point, as the agents are already snapping up the 'security' team, roughly zip tying those that don't resist, and bludgeoning with pistol and rifle butts if they do. He may be able to smooth this over with Gordon, but one cocky Statie captain and this would be even more a morass than it already was. Later on, however, when he reads the police dispatches, he'll curse himself. If the Batman hadn't been there, if the cops had been a little less aggressive... well. Maybe Pamela Isley would be occupying a spot on the bottom of Delaware bay than a cell at Arkham. Oh, and as an aside, Domino isn't tracked. She helped them here, and she'd be around to call in the favor later, no doubt. For a few moments, Gordon just watches as Ivy screams at the CEO, forcing his confession. A scowl forms beneath his gas mask, but he keeps his thoughts to himself, especially the curse about lunatics always being on the loose and causing him trouble. Once De'Gayle finishes, he lets out a slight sigh and looks up to briefly meet the Batman's gaze. There are no words exchanged, nor any other sign of affiliation. They had to keep that one silent. His attention now taken by Poison Ivy. "Quietly? I doubt that." He looks over toward one of the SWAT officers next to him and nods his head indicatively, cueing the officer to move toward her with handcuffs brandished. "Keep dreaming," he murmurs to her last remark, before lifting the radio from his shoulder. "Unit leaders, report." The SHIELD agents are given their space to work, for the SWAT teams aren't about to get into a pissing contest with other bonafide enforcement agencies. The roadblocks will remain secure until Gordon releases them, and that won't happen until Poison Ivy is in an armored truck headed back to Gotham. And somewhere, within the perimeter set up by the roadblocks, a lone Audi is being hooked up to a tow truck. Category:Logs Category:Events